


Unsung Heroes

by kimoi



Category: BioShock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-02-27
Updated: 2012-12-28
Packaged: 2017-10-31 19:45:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/347715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimoi/pseuds/kimoi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young man given a job in Rapture lives the high life - whether he wants to or not. Takes places in 1956, for those familiar with the Rapture timeline.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_"There's a pipe leaking in Arcadia. From behind the discarded Fontaine Fisheries crates where I sit, the cold spray pelts my face and torso. I close my eyes, and indulge myself on a hit of Adam and Eve. As the sensation of the borderline narcotic slug-sludge washes over me, I smile, tilting my head back. I almost feel... like I'm on the surface, again."_

 - Audio Diary

Riley Whitaker

 

 

"There's no wind in Rapture," the quaint author, Riley Whitaker - aged 26 years - narrated to himself, "it's as if the entire bloody city is holding its breath. Waiting for the final moment where she can let it out and die."

 "You're so morbid, Riley," came a voice from the tiny kitchen. Marlene Whitaker, Riley's older sister, came into the living room with a plate of finger sandwiches. Sat across from him. Put her hand on his knee. Smiled. "How's the book coming along?"

 The author sunk back into the couch, and sighed. He'd been commissioned to write a book about Rapture and her history. The more he found out, the more depressed he became.

 "Dandy," he lied, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He helped himself to the sandwiches two at a time, Marlene smiling at him as she too took a couple.

 "Well that's wonderful," she began through a mouthful of food, wiping her hands on her apron. "Now cut it out with that horrible negativity."

 

Riley and Marlene Whitaker came to Rapture a little under a year ago. They'd moved into Apollo Square after being offered the job of reporter and librarian respectively. Neither of them were particularly noteworthy, but apparently they'd caught the attention of the infamous Andrew Ryan. He'd sent for them, and two days later they were on their way down below the waves. Riley had done so well working for the local Rapture paper that one of Ryan's boys convinced the head honcho himself to commission the lad for a piece about the underwater city. It grew from there, and eventually the man had requested a book.

Marlene had done similarly well as a librarian in Point Prometheus, but refused all offers to advance her position. She rather enjoyed the humble title, and was, truthfully, a but on the lazy side.

Having cleaned the plate, now empty, Marlene wandered back into the kitchen. Riley, thinking on his plans for the day, let out another sigh. He was scheduled to go to the museum again, but rather wished he could be as laid-back as his sister. Seldom did her job require much more than a little paperwork here, or a fee-collection there. Gathering his spectacles and camera, the boy set off; wishing his sis a good day, and striding out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

" _On slow nights, the library is always real quiet. It's almost unnerving. There are times that I think I hear crying or low, nonsensical muttering from somewhere in a lonely corner of the bookshelves. I try and convince myself it's nothing, but I never feel like I should turn my back on the books..."_

\- Audio Diary

Marlene Whitaker

 

"You have an appointment with Julie Langford today, Mister Whitaker," a plucky male voice reminded a slightly-spaced Riley from somewhere to the left of him.

"Huh? Oh, Jason, yes..." He was also scheduled for a museum visit, too... Deciding Dr. Langford would be extremely put off by being traded for a glorified field trip, he altered his course for a rendezvous with the eccentric botanist.

 

"Well, at least now we know," Riley muttered thoughtfully, leading Jason out of the arboretum.

"What's that, boss?" the young man quipped.

"That she's a crackpot. I mean, come on. Did you hear some of the gibberish she was spouting?" Riley thumbed through his notepad. "I think I got less than a handful of anything useful here." In his irritated haste, several papers scattered to the ground of the entrance to Arcadia. Jason, ever-diligent, stooped to gather them. Riley was about ten paces ahead before he realized the boy wasn't in-step behind him anymore.

"Jason?" He jogged back to his protegeé. "What the devil, man?" Jason was crouched over the spilled papers, eyes trained nervously on what appeared to be a smashed hypodermic of Adam. Riley grabbed his shoulder, pulling him away sharply.

"Don't touch that filthy stuff, Jay," Riley warned with a sour look. "I've seen what that does to a fellow, and believe me - it's no good." Nodding, the protegeé stood, the fallen papers in his grasp. He laughed humourlessly.

"Got a problem with being a superhero, boss?" he asked with a timid smile. Riley shuddered.

"I got a problem with being cornered in a dark alley and bein' mugged so those damn... oh bugger, what do they call them?"

"Splicers, boss?"

"Yes. So those damn _splicers_ can afford another nip o' the stuff. No good, Jay. No good."

 

The pair of them took a seat at the Fighting McDonaugh's, ordered a pint apiece, and some grub. Riley thumbed through papers.

"There anything worth anything in there?" Jason asked as their beer was delivered. Riley, taking a drink, shrugged.

"She kept saying something about the 'Saturnine' and about how they're going to burn Arcadia down? I mean this is ridiculous." He took a long second drink. "Have you ever even seen one of these 'Houdini' splicers before?" - Personally, secretly, he was glad he hadn't. The normal ones scared him enough. Their food arrived, and the two men ate in silence.

 


	3. Chapter 3

_"I-I... got attacked, tonight... one of those fucking... Splicers cornered me in an alley. Zapped me. Took my damn wallet. Sh-she looked a sight, she did. Her face was half-melted off. Kept screeching something about Adam and how she'd put me in my grave. If I wasn't questioning my decisions before, I sure as hell am now..."_

_-_ Audio Diary

Riley Whitaker

 

"You don't know about the Saturnine, Riley?" Marlene asked in mild disbelief. "You'd benefit from a trip to the library, I'd wager." She laughed at the flustered author, bringing him a cup of coffee.

"Well, what _are_ they, ms. know-it-all?"

"The Saturnine, dearest brother, are a wicked cult. They "drink blood" and play with fire. Drink Plasmids from champagne flutes like billionaires. Scare children. Wear stupid masks. They're like boogeymen. Frightening, but mostly harmless." Riley shifted a bit.

"Any idea why Langford would be in such a tizzy over them?"

"Well, parading around like mother Gaea up there in Arcadia, I'd say she's worried about the lot doing some serious damage to her spoonfed forest. If anything happens to those trees, we'd all go belly-up, Ri."

The boy made a face.

"Awful metaphor, Mar. I'd rather not imagine drowning." Pause, sip. "I guess that makes sense, though. But why doesn't she do anything about it? Or have Mr. Ryan do something?"

"Doesn't want to get his hands dirty? I don't know. He's very into self-reliance. And who knows. They'll probably get bored with their little group and disband anyway."

"I suppose. Well. I guess she's not as big of a crackpot as I pegged her for. Still loony as a pond, but... within reason."

"Seems like it. Anything else interesting?"

"Not... particularly. Book-worthy stuff, sure. But I feel like I'm writing a damn textbook. I guess documentary stuff just bores me. Now, a fairytale, maybe..." Marlene laughed.

"This whole damn place is a fairytale, Riley. I mean, come on. We live underwater in a giant sea palace. We have an evil overlord. There's monsters prowling the street that can snatch up children. There's magical goo that can make a man shoot fire or lightning from his fingertips. You read over the footnotes to that and tell me that doesn't sound like some delerious bedtime fable." The comment stopped Riley mentally in his tracks.

"You're... right. Hm. I wonder if I can convince our evil sea overlord to let me write this book a little more interesting." It was an extreme long shot, but... The man might go for it.

"Couldn't hurt. If nothing else you can at least pretend that's what you're doing." It would make the project less of a chore. He finished his coffee, stood, and stretched. That's what he'd do then, he decided, and retired to his room to por over his notes thus far and look at them with this new resolve.


	4. Chapter 4

_"It's hard to imagine anything in Rapture being old. But when I look at the rusting pipes, the defeated faces of the citizens... The age is apparent. Rapture is like an apple with a bite taken out of it. Her skin has been damaged, and life seeps from her quicker than it should be. I look around me, and I feel old, too."_

\- Audio Diary  
Riley Whitaker

 

An empty schedule alotted the young author a chance to tag along with Marlene to the library, and with new steam fueling his project, he took the opportunity to gather what he could from the various books his sister brought to his attention.

"It's strange," he observed idly, closing his fifth book on Rapture's 'great' history.  
"What is?" Mar questioned, engaged in a tussle with her lunch box.  
"Oh, just..." Riley's brow furrowed. "All these books, and I'm quite at a loss for the background of some of Rapture's most important figures."  
"Like who?"  
"Well, a few scattered things here and there about J.S. Steinman, some on Langford but... Fontaine, most notably. I mean, granted, he's a fisherman but - it says nothing more. Not where he came from, what his background is... Like he barely existed before coming to Rapture, and yet he's this enormous influence. The fisheries are no big whoop, but Fontaine Futuristics? It's no small feat for a fisherman to pull something like that out of nowhere, you know?" It was intriguing.   
"You should talk to him. Have you interviewed him yet?"  
"No... and to be honest, the man unsettles me a little. He created some monster that's gutting Rapture. I'm not exactly jumping out of my britches to nab some quality time with him." The instant he'd said that, however, he was immediately curious about it. He idly wondered how difficult it would be to get an interview. Maybe he could even coax the man out of his office, earn face time at The Fighting McDonaugh's, in public. More people would make him less nervous. He'd talk to Jason about it soon.

"Well don't rule it out, Riley." Marlene's tone was stern, but sisterly. "Seems pretty important to the whole thing." Riley only nodded in reply, absently thumbing through a book on Ryan's great achievements. Maybe the author would head to the museum, finally.   
"Shame you're stuck here, Mar. We should go to the museum. Been a bit, hasn't it?" Folding the top of her lunchbox down to rest her sandwich on it, the woman looked thoughtful.  
"Sebastian's in in about an hour. I could play hooky today, I think." Riley smiled, taking up the scarce notes he'd taken down.  
"Atta girl," he encouraged with a grin, helping the librarian with her things, and to assist in constructing a note explaining how she'd suddenly taken ill and went home early. The two of them left, laughing at their own childishness.

**Author's Note:**

> ahaha i started writing this after i read the bioshock book lol NO REGRETS.


End file.
